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The High Court of Justice has maintained a freeze on a Knesset law that would halt arrest, investigation, and enforcement proceedings against haredi (ultra-Orthodox) yeshiva students who fail to report for military service. The interim order, initially issued on July 15 by Justice Ofer Grosskopf, was reaffirmed on July 28 after a hearing before an expanded panel of nine justices, who said a final ruling would be issued soon.

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post reported on the initial freeze and the subsequent hearing, providing consistent details across its coverage. The first report, dated July 15, noted that Justice Grosskopf issued a provisional order suspending the law's entry into force until further notice, and a conditional order requiring the Knesset and government to explain why the law should not be struck down. The report highlighted the court's longstanding rulings on enlistment of yeshiva students and the law's unequal application to "only certain sections of the population."

A subsequent report on July 28 detailed the hearing before the nine-justice panel. The court's interim order was issued after hearing arguments from all parties, with the court stating, "After considering the parties' arguments, in writing and orally, an interim order is hereby issued," and adding, "The judgment will be issued soon."

The coverage also noted the involvement of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, who asked the court to strike down the law, and the Knesset's legal advisers, who focused on procedural defects in the law's enactment. The government filed a separate two-page position accusing the court of violating the separation of powers.

Key Claims

  • The High Court of Justice temporarily froze the law on July 15, with Justice Ofer Grosskopf issuing a provisional order suspending its entry into force until further notice.
  • The law, passed by the Knesset on July 14 in its second and third readings by a vote of 58 to 54, would have halted enforcement proceedings against haredi yeshiva students who failed to report for military service, with the temporary provision set to remain in force until November 30.
  • The court ordered the petitions to be heard as soon as possible by an expanded panel to be selected by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, and required respondents to submit replies four days before the hearing.
  • Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara asked the court to strike down the law, arguing that it retains the duty to enlist while removing the consequences for refusal. She called it a "group immunity mechanism" that protects one sector from arrest, investigation, and prosecution while leaving other draft evaders exposed to the full force of the law.
  • The Knesset's legal advisers, represented in court by attorney Yitzhak Bart, focused on defects in the law's implementation, arguing that committees have broad authority to make changes to bills as long as they do not result in a "new subject."
  • The government filed a two-page position accusing the court of violating the separation of powers and the Attorney-General's Office of obstructing efforts to increase haredi enlistment.
The initial freeze followed petitions filed by Israel Hofsheet, opposition leader Yair Lapid and seven other Yesh Atid lawmakers, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, MK Oded Forer, and the party, and the Movement for Quality Government in Israel. A fifth petition was also filed, as noted in later reports.